The arena, though lacking Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan at the moment, remained undisturbed due to the illusion array’s concealment.
Even if attendees sensed an anomaly in Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan’s location, they dared not probe with their spiritual senses.
After all, Lin Ran had erected a barrier precisely to prevent any prying eyes.
Pushing forward to peek wouldn't just be rude, but futile.
Moreover, even if one tried, they'd likely see nothing and only manage to offend someone.
Especially when the one who set up the barrier was Lin Ran!
Among those present, not a single soul could confidently claim their spiritual power surpassed Lin Ran's.
Therefore, no one would dare court such an inconvenience.
All their attention was thus focused on the next match on the arena.
A duel between the reigning champion and runner-up from the previous finals!
Caesar versus Adam "The Iron Hammer"!
...
One hour later.
"Huh? It's already over?"
Lin Ran, just emerging from the Divine Might Space, was still a bit bewildered. He glanced at the clearly decided outcome on the field, then turned to Luo Qingyan, whose complexion was still slightly flushed.
Luo Qingyan tidied her slightly disheveled hair and said:
"Isn't that normal?"
"Frankly, I think Caesar managing to last an hour is already exceeding expectations."
"Logically, someone with the 'Iron Block Man's' strength should have crushed Caesar..."
"But this fight was dragged out for so long; it's highly probable the 'Iron Block Man' went easy."
Lin Ran chuckled:
"Then, if the 'Iron Block Man' hadn't held back, how long do you think Caesar could have lasted?"
Luo Qingyan pondered for a moment and replied:
"About twenty minutes?"
"Caesar, as the inheritor of the Holy Empire's numerous divine artifacts and the divine spark of Odin, shouldn't be that weak..."
Lin Ran nodded, then shook his head:
"Regardless, Caesar definitely wouldn't be branded as weak..."
"With his many inheritances and the constant, excellent training he's received, his combat power is indeed considerable."
"However, his opponent is that incredibly monstrous 'Iron Block Man'!"
"While that 'Iron Block Man' might appear ordinary, I'm the one who knows just how terrifying he truly is..."
"So, in my estimation, if the 'Iron Block Man' went all out, three seconds would be more than enough!"
Luo Qingyan was stunned:
"What? Three seconds? Impossible! And that's against Caesar!"
"If that's the case, just how strong *is* the 'Iron Block Man'?"
Lin Ran sighed:
"It's unavoidable. Simple humans like you, with your flesh and blood bodies, can't possibly comprehend his terror."
"To you, he's like a dimensional reduction strike..."
"Did you know? The current intel on Adam "The Iron Hammer" is completely wrong, and ridiculously so!"
"It's the year 3078, and people still believe his mechanization level is only 99.87%..."
"In reality, he reached 100% long ago!"
"Adam 'The Iron Hammer's' strength now is many, many times what it was before."
"Without full mechanization, Adam "The Iron Hammer" held an absolute advantage over Caesar, let alone now."
Luo Qingyan's expression became even more bewildered:
"It's only an increase of 0.13%, is it really that exaggerated?"
"And what kind of talk was that just now... calling us 'flesh and blood bodies'..."
"As if you're not one yourself."
Lin Ran rolled his eyes:
"Apologies, I got a bit carried away thinking of myself as a dragon..."
"But from a certain perspective, I am indeed gradually deviating from conventional norms in a biological sense. You'll understand this later."
"As for your previous question..."
"Don't underestimate that final 0.13%!"
"You must understand that no matter the attribute, the more extreme one pursues, the harder it becomes to improve further, and the greater the price one must pay."
"The step Adam "The Iron Hammer" took was truly the pinnacle."
"Not to mention it was a concentrated burst of qualitative change from quantitative accumulation, so a significant increase is only natural?"
"Furthermore, after fully mechanizing, this fellow can utilize many power systems that were unusable when he still had a flesh-and-blood body, further accelerating this evolution..."
"For instance, the crystal at the core of his heart is undoubtedly one of the most valuable items currently existing within the entire Sakura Nation."
"If not for the desire to obtain that thing, I truly wouldn't have been willing to fight him."
Luo Qingyan gradually came back to her senses:
"Is that so?"
"Then you truly are something else, thinking of yourself as a dragon..."
"Look at what you said! Was that human speech?"
"And then to add that you're deviating from conventional norms biologically... Really, you're insufferable!"
"Never mind, never mind. I don't really care about all that..."
"Compared to these empty, superficial things, I'm more curious about how you know so much."
"All those items and categories before, the secrets and counters of various power systems, even many things I'd never seen before..."
"It seems like anything that appears, you have something to say about it! It's too absurd!"
"I truly feel you're infinitely more reliable than any ancient text, encyclopedia, or database..."
"So don't tell me you read it in a book with that perfunctory tone, okay! I won't buy it!"
Lin Ran smiled:
"Uh... it's not actually that exaggerated..."
"Unlike those vague things, I often need to experience them personally to understand."
"If you absolutely must ask where this information comes from, I can only tell you that perhaps my eyes are just good..."
Good eyes?!
Luo Qingyan nearly choked herself.
Communicating with this guy who loved to play coy was still so frustrating! It was infuriating!
However, since he seemed to have everything under control, there was no need for her to worry. What did it matter to her?
With that thought, Luo Qingyan nudged Lin Ran:
"Since you've said it like that, then fine..."
"But if the 'Iron Block Man' is truly as strong as you say, with his 100% mechanized steel body, his invaluable power system, and his explosive qualitative leap in strength, it sounds incredibly tedious."
"Facing someone like that..."
As Luo Qingyan spoke, Lin Ran smiled calmly, then stood up and interrupted her:
"It doesn't matter. I will act!"